Belfast

We got to spend an entire day in and around Belfast on our Ireland trip. All I knew of Belfast beforehand was that it had a significant industrial history. But I found the city to be much more than that.

We stayed at the four-star Europa Hotel, which hosted President Bill Clinton during his visits to Belfast in 1995 and 1998.  According to Wikipedia, it's known as the "most bombed hotel in the world" after having suffered 28 bomb attacks during the Troubles.

Our driving tour of the city included a stop at the Northern Ireland Parliament Building.  The Canadian government gave light fixtures for the drive leading to the building as a gift when it opened, which I was delighted to see included moose heads.

The grounds of Belfast City Hall are well suited for picnics, strolls and apparently naps.

The inside of the building is also impressive.  I wish I'd asked while I was there what this statue was and why it's surrounded by all those tiny coats of arms, because I've been unsuccessful trying to find out online.

I was surprised to learn that the impressive Scottish Provident Building is an office complex.  But I suppose it's better than if the late Victorian structure had been torn down and replaced by something more modern.  It's probably a pretty cool place to work.

Speaking of modern, Titanic Belfast is just that.  Its impressive exterior is matched by really enjoyable and informative exhibits on the inside.  The whole experience brings the vessel's construction and doomed maiden voyage to life incredibly well.

The building is located 100 meters in front of where Titanic's hull was constructed and launched; to its right is the drawing office where she was designed and to the left is the Victoria Channel from where she first set sail.  I spent a fair amount of time in this spot waiting for a gull to fly into the shot.

Right across from our hotel is the Crown Liquor Saloon, regarded as an outstanding example of a Victorian "gin palace."  I followed this rainbow to a pint of Guinness rather than a pot of gold.  And I found it interesting that the guy on the corner was so focused on what was in front of him that he may have missed the great show taking place behind him.  There's a lesson in there somewhere.

I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Belfast, and have a much richer appreciation for everything the city has to offer!

The Giant's Causeway

There was one major deciding factor in our choice of which tour of Ireland to book -- the one we went on was the only one that included a stop at Giant's Causeway. The World Heritage Site on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland has about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, believed to be the result of an ancient volcanic eruption.  The pictures we'd seen of it were like nothing we'd ever visited before.

The weather when we arrived was absolutely perfect -- enough clouds to add interest to the sky while still allowing plenty of sun.  I chose to walk the trail to the Grand Causeway rather than take the shuttle so I could stop and take pictures along the way.  Before even getting to the signature columns I was blown away by the beauty of the small Portnaboe cove.

I shot this area for a while before remembering it wasn't really what I came for, and we didn't have a ton of time.  So I reluctantly put my camera away and focused on getting to the columns.

And ... wow.  Just wow.  I really can't adequately describe the feeling of being surrounded by so many rocks that appear carved by hand, but are completely natural.

The lush green grass, the vivid blue water, the puffy white clouds, the striking gray rocks -- I was absolutely blown away.

The columns lead straight into the North Channel separating Ireland from Scotland.  According to legend, they were built by the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill in order to accept a challenge to a fight from the Scottish giant Benandonner.

The site is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland, and as such gets a number of visitors.  We were fortunate to arrive fairly early before things got too packed, but eventually the crowds grew to the point where I just had to accept that most of my shots were going to have people in them.

I didn't mind the couple in this shot, who looked like they were taking a romantic selfie.  Upon closer examination I think the girl actually has her camera pointed away from her, while the guy looks a bit bored.  Too bad -- that ruins a good story.  They still had some nice scale to the scene, though.

I don't mind these folks, either.  That's Danelle taking a picture of Zak and Taryn.

Patience and graciousness are key in these situations.  Everyone else had just as much of a right to be there as I did.  So when I saw a view I like I set up my tripod and just waited for the inevitable break in the ebb and flow of people to get my shot.

Stepping over a hill I realized that the site extended quite a bit further -- in fact, we were only about a quarter of the way in.  But with limited time, this was as far as I could get.

I seriously could have spent an entire day here photographing from sunrise to sunset, and still probably have more left to see.

All to soon it was time to return to the motorcoach.  I still took the opportunity to take some shots of Port Ganny that I'd decided to forgo earlier.

One last reflection, and I had to book it to hit the restroom and grab a sandwich before being left behind.

This was definitely my favorite stop of the entire tour.  I know it's a big world and there are a lot of amazing things to see.  But I would love the opportunity to return here someday and spend a couple of days really immersing myself in this spectacular place!